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Pac-12 roundup: Mike Bercovici leads Arizona State over Arizona, 52-37

Stanford's Christian McCaffrey returns a kickoff for a touchdown against California on Saturday.

Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey returns a kickoff for a touchdown against California on Saturday.

(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
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Christian McCaffrey rushed for 192 yards, ran a kickoff back for a touchdown and had a 49-yard scoring reception as No. 11 Stanford defeated California, 35-22, Saturday at Palo Alto and clinched the Pac-12 Conference North division title.

The Cardinal (9-2, 8-1 in Pac-12) will face the winner of Saturday’s UCLA-USC game with a probable Rose Bowl bid on the line.

The versatile McCaffrey, a Heisman Trophy candidate, accounted for 282 yards in the first half alone, and his 98-yard kickoff return gave the Cardinal a 21-6 lead. He made it easy on quarterback Kevin Hogan, who threw only 12 passes, completing seven for 92 yards. Jared Goff passed for 386 yards and two touchdowns for Cal (6-5, 3-5).

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at Arizona State 52, Arizona 37: Mike Bercovici threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns in his final home game and the Sun Devils returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to knock off the rival Wildcats.

Arizona State (6-5, 4-4 Pac-12) sputtered on offense early before reeling off a string of big plays to build a 21-point halftime lead.

Arizona (6-6, 3-6) managed to claw its way back within a touchdown, but Kareem Orr returned an interception 21 yards for a touchdown and Lloyd Carrington returned another 38 yards for a score on the next series.

Devin Lucien had nine catches for 190 yards for Arizona State, which had 565 yards of total offense to become bowl-eligible for the fifth consecutive season.

“This is what you dream about when you decide to be a Sun Devil,” Bercovici said after completing 21 of 32 passes with an interception.

Arizona’s Brandon Dawkins threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns after replacing an ineffective Jerrard Randall in the second quarter, but he had the two pick-sixes in the fourth.

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A big problem for both teams all season has been defensive breakdowns — they’re among the two worst in the Pac-12 — but the defenses dominated early.

Arizona State finally broke through with a big play, when Bercovici hit Lucien on a 58-yard pass to set up Demario Richard’s bulldozing eight-yard touchdown run.

Arizona’s offense stagnated without starting quarterback Anu Solomon, out with a concussion.

Randall repeatedly overthrew receivers on deep routes or threw too hard on short passes. He completed four of 13 for 35 yards and lost a fumble before being replaced by Dawkins.

Washington 52, at Oregon State 7: Jake Browning threw four touchdown passes as the Huskies (5-6, 3-5 Pac-12) scored on their first six possessions and kept their faint bowl hopes alive.

Browning completed 18 of 20 passes for 211 yards, most of it coming in the first half as the Huskies rolled to a 45-0 lead. Brayden Lenius caught two touchdown passes, and running back Myles Gaskins had 23 carries for 127 yards.

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Washington can become bowl-eligible with a win Friday against Washington State. The Beavers (2-9, 0-8) lost their eighth consecutive game.

Falk hurt: Washington State quarterback Luke Falk was taken off the field on a backboard after suffering an apparent head injury midway through the third quarter against Colorado, but he gave thumbs up and waved his hands as he was removed from the stadium. The game ended after press time.

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